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Broads Authority Bill (By Order)

I thank my hon. Friend and agree that it is much better. Again, I am fully aware that it has to be seen in practice. When the Bill reaches its final manifestations and sees the light, I hope that it will be very apparent that this is a major factor in selling the Bill to the people who use the broads—and to the few objectors. As I say, only four people have petitioned, but I am sure that others may not have got around to doing so yet. Obviously, there will be differences of opinion about where the money goes, how much is spent on dredging and on this and that. It all has to be seen in the open, and I see no reason why that should not happen. The Broads Authority has a tradition of openness and transparency. One or two people may disagree, but in general that is true of the Broads Authority, and I am sure that it intends to carry on in that way. I mentioned that only four individuals have petitioned against the Bill, and it could be argued that that is four out of 10,000. However, I do not take the numbers per se as particularly important. Many other people want to use the broads, and will do so if they see this kind of transparency. Agreements have been reached with the national boating organisations, and the number of petitioners is a testament to the thoroughness of the consultation carried out by the Broads Authority. Nothing is ever perfect—but gosh, it tried really hard to get everybody’s views and attempted to meet them. This is not over yet—there is more to do—but the generality of the Bill is what is being presented here today. I believe that the consultation will continue. To conclude, let me explain why I believe the Bill should receive its Second Reading and move on. Public safety is an amazing issue to highlight in the context of the beauty of the broads. It must be safe out there, to encourage young people to use the facilities. There have been precedents for some of the issues that we have debated and thorough consultation has taken place. This is not a major Bill in the sense of trying to turn the broads into a national park, or change the laws of the land to any dramatic extent. Meeting the safety positions is a matter of urgency. The Department of Trade and Industry has been urging that. Sadly, accidents occur, but we hope that they will not be serious, like those that have occurred in the past. I would welcome the support of Members in making sure that the Bill progresses through its Second Reading and that we can examine some of the issues in more detail.